A Family Affair is Netflix’s answer to Amazon Prime’s The Idea of You. Older woman, younger man in the spotlight, they fall in love, and her daughter is impacted by it. The problem is, while The Idea of You has romantic leads with chemistry, A Family Affair is devoid of spark and charm. I never thought that I would find myself bored with actors like Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron on my screen, but that’s exactly what happened.
Efron plays Chris Cole, a mega movie star who’s quite the diva. He threatens to fire his assistant Zara (Joey King) every single time she makes a mistake, and she’s also a witness to the way he treats his romantic partners – he’s quick to cut them out of his life once things get boring. Due to circumstances, Chris finds himself at Zara’s house and runs into her mother Brooke (Kidman). He’s charmed and fascinated with her, and Zara returns to find the two engaged in a sexy romp. It’s the stuff of nightmares really.
The film tries to establish the flimsy basis of Chris and Brooke’s attraction to each other, but it just isn’t compelling to watch. We’re supposed to feel giddy watching two people connect on screen, however, all we end up feeling is awkward. We’re treated to a montage of their romantic interactions, which include quite a number of long strolls on the beach and Brooke constantly laughing hysterically at something Chris said. The laughing is just not believable because she never laughed like that when we were privy to their conversations.
Weirdly enough, Efron had a similar-ish role in 17 Again, where he played a older man stuck in his younger body. Efron and Leslie Mann also had an age gap but there was palpable chemistry between their characters. The romance in A Family Affair in contrast is so inauthentic and uncompelling. There’s also the inconsistency in Chris’ character. He’s an airheaded diva at the beginning of the movie, and then this suddenly changes when it’s time for him to meet Brooke.
The one person in this project trying to pull it altogether is King. She’s endearing as Zara, and the comedy that does work in the movie is because of her efforts. We can understand her frustrations when working with Chris, especially when he made promises to her that he doesn’t seem intent to keep. It’s also a nightmarish scenario to find out that your mom and boss are getting it on. Her two friends are barely characterized though, and it feels like the narrative is meandering when the focus is turned on them.
A Family Affair is a big old waste of time – even Kidman and Kathy Bates having emotional heart to heart talks didn’t give me enough substance to properly tune in. It’s better to spend your time rewatching The Idea of You – at least there was chemistry and some pretty dope pop songs in that film. Efron sings some Cher in this, but the movie doesn’t make me believe in life after love – just extreme boredom.
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